Wichita eagle., 1887-07-13
1ai11@ Eaole
SEEN IN A HOSPITAL.
SOME REMARKABLE WORK DONE
WITH SURGEONS KNIVES.

A Patient Relates Her Experience-Cut-
ting Out a Cancer-The Temporary
Madness of a Patient Causes a Big
Sensation.
A woman who was private patient for
several weeks in leading hospital in New
York city consented to tell reporter some
interesting facts IN regard TO the operations
performed They are remarkable instances
of medical and surgical skill The lady was
never in hospital before, and was quite curi-
Gus to observe the actions of patients, nurses
and surgeons. She had an interesting ex-
perience with her next door neighbor, who
was suffering from dementia. The second
night of her stay he jumped out Of bed and
ran into the ward shouting Murder" and
-Police.7 until half the hospital was aroused
arni nurses and attendants, orderlies and
doctors came rushing TO the scene.
As that weird cry Of murder rang and
echoed through the long halls and corridors
the effect was remarkable. An engineer in
one Of the private rooms, with crushed head
and almost senseless, ceased his low means of
pain and listened. He had been brought to
the hospital two days before after falling
down an elevator shaft and striking on his
Aceiif SuSLtil4iLii8 an INJURY WHICH pom eXaIn-
ination proved to be a compound fracture of
the skull. j very skillful operation was per-
formed by the attending surgeons. His
brains were entirely removed and broken
pieces of the skull extracted and the uninjured
portions of the brain returned to their place
Even the little 3-month-old babe, brought
there with club feet, now Strengthened with
brace and bandage, ceased its wailings of
pain and listened, too. 4 little 3-year-od
boy, with broken leg, who had been moan
ing all day and calling for his mother, hushed
his cries and, clutching the bed clothes. lay
with wide open eyes the remainder of the
night.
WONDERFUL FEATs OF SURGERY
1T is astonishing said the lady, ito wit
ness what is accomplished in difficult surgery
at the hospitals, even in these days Of scien-
tific discoveries and achievements If /
should tell one-half of what l saw and heard
during the three weeks of my stay would
scarcely be believed. After almost cutting
people in pieces and putting them together
again, and keeping them IN bed a couple Of
weeks, they turn them out cured. And it is
done so easily. The simplest remedies possi-
bic and system and regularity in every detail
are strictly observed. The service is admir-
able Only trained and experienced nurses,
male and female, are employed, and then tie
conveniences and paTaphernalia are so per-
feet. The ambulance comes and goes and
brings patient after patient. II their injuries
are slight the wounds are dressed, and they
are sent away; if serious, they are inlme-
diately taken to the operating room and from
thence to the wards. No questions are asked,
no gossiping is allowed, and one or the nurses
said to me, when she thought l was too in
Quisitive, We are here to work and not talk
Zone day | noticed unusual excitement
among the orderiies, and my nurse informed
me she would have TO leave me for q couple
of hours in charge Of the nurse from the next
ward. ! middle aged gentleman, suffering
from cancer on his tongue, had entered the
hospital to be operated upon. The serious
ness of the case caused the futter Of excite
ment among the nurses. The scent of ether
was in the air and we knew the new patient
was being conveyed to the operating room. |
Two hours passed and he did not return. |
Another hour and the orderlies bore him to |
his room. The operation had been entirely |
successful Some Of his teeth were extracted |
and the under jaw had TO be sawn apart in |
sections and turned down over the neck, |
while about twO-thirds Of the tongue and |
roots were removed; then the separated jaw |
was reunited, the head and face bandaged |
and two hours after he was sleeping like a |
babe.
The service in a first class hospital, it |
seems TO me, is the best medical and surgical |
skill that science can command The great |
benevolence and self denial with which the /
physicians work IL such institutions are to |
be greatly admired l want to say to ali who
are afflicted that 10 be conveyed to a hospital
is by no means TO be conveyed to the grave"
New York Mail and Express